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Monday, February 16, 2015

The Forgotten Graves of Mississippi's UMMC

by Pam Hillman

The headline in the January 24, 2015 edition of The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS) reads UMMC bound by thousands of bodies buried on campus.

In 2013, 66 bodies were discovered when the University of Mississippi Medical Center started construction on a road on campus. In February 2014, underground radar revealed approximately 1000 bodies buried where a parking garage was to be built. More research unearthed (figuratively, at least) more than 1000 bodies North of the original location.

The medical center halted construction and moved an $11 million dollar cancer facility to a different location in order to not disturb these bodies. UMMC officials, the MS Attorney General, and other key players are doing their part to honor these unmarked graves.

But where did they come from? And why are there over 2000 graves and not much record of who they are and why they are buried there?

Turns out the UMMC campus is built on the same grounds that housed the Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum which opened its doors in 1855. The article states that patients housed in the asylum was a "far cry from the attics and jails where the mentally ill were often being chained", and history does bear that statement out.

Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum (1855)

However, my heart broke when I read that in a span of 22 years, approximately 1400 patients were admitted to the MS State Lunatic Asylum. Of those, 20% died. Researchers and historians also believe some of the grave sites contain Civil War dead, former slaves, and TB patients.

The discovery has resulted in genealogists from all over the country attempting to discover if a family member might be one of the forgotten dead. Patient documents are stored at the state archives, but are sometimes sketchy. Other records have been lost to fire and neglect.

While we in 2015 might find the fact that 2000 souls were buried without markers or permanent headstones 100-150 years ago, we have to remember that notifying the next of kin was much more time consuming than it would be today. Even if family members could be located and could afford to, it would take several days to travel to Jackson by train or by wagon. And transporting the bodies back for burial in local family plots was out of the question.

In the 1950s, 100 years after the Mississippi State Lunatic Asylum opened its doors, both of my parents worked at the Mississippi State Hospital (Whitfield) that was built in 1935 to replace the 80 year old asylum.

Vickie, there is speculation that a few of the graves are soldiers. There was a heated battle in the area. One research paper I read said that the soldiers camped within sight of the asylum and that they saw some of the patients from the windows.

Wow, Pam. I don't believe in ghosts but if ever a place might be haunted...this is it. Like Vickie said above, are they like....what? Digging them up? Trying to detect age, race, gender? Who is paying for that?

They're still in discussion about what to do. Archaeologists have excavated some of the graves and they're evaluating them. Since there are so many graves and the cost to move them is so high, and it's not easy to decide WHERE to move them, that's still being discussed from the last article I read. The parties involved do want to honor the deceased.

Dave and I were somewhere (I think Boston area, maybe Cape Cod?) where there was an unmarked field of mass graves outside an old hospital, or something. I can't remember the details, but I remember it being weird that the field was like any grass yard, and that if you didn't know there were forgotten souls buried beneath, you'd never know. Like Vickie said, you expect that on battlefields. Gettysburg was an eye opening experience for me, I'd never been there before, but when you come across a mass burial(s) like this.... unexpected... you start to wonder what else happened in that 18th and 19th century? Pam, thanks for bringing this to my attention, it's fascinating.

It is fascinating, Ruthy. But that field of green grass where they're being honored seems appropriate, doesn't it? It was a different time, but mostly, I think they tried to honor the graves then and now. In this case, apparently, the medical center just didn't know they were there until they started excavations for the road a few years ago, then later for the cancer research center.

Absolutely fascinating, Pam! I still have goosebumps from reading this. From the picture, the lunatic asylum was quite a place, and it makes me wonder what it must have been like inside. I would imagine people were relieved to have their relatives tucked away in such a place and forgotten since the stigma of mental illness was so strong then. I'm sad and fascinated and creeped out all at the same time.

I know, Carla. I have all those emotions, too. I read some where that those who write horror stories were getting all kinds of ideas from this. Yikes! Not my cup of tea, but I can see how they would be attracted to stories like this.

Fascinating article. There's a small museum in St. Joseph, Missouri, dedicated to the history of the treatment of the mentally ill.As with all eras of history, those who are at risk and who don't have advocates are especially vulnerable to be victimized. The verse about God numbering the hairs on our heads and knowing when a sparrow falls came to mind ... He knows their names. I can't imagine the massive undertaking to try to decide what to do now ...

I've been impressed with so many of the quotes in the articles I read. Words like compassion, honor, respect have been used repeatedly. Sounds like the people in charge of the decision-making process have their heart in the right place. :)

Sharon, from what I've read, these graves, or at least the bulk of them, are laid out neat and orderly in rows. But I would think that over a period of 80 years while the asylum was in operation, there might have been some overlay. Thanks for stopping by.

Incredible information. Thanks for sharing this Pam. I'm very interested in the history of mental health and how mental illness was treated throughout the ages. Many skeletons were unearthed last year in London near Liverpool Street Station which were part of the Bedlam burial ground. I bet this may be true of asylums all over the world. Thanks for sharing this interesting story. I'll be interested to see what happens.

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